Tigers' Jim Leyland switches up lineup regularly

By Steve Gardner, USA TODAY

NEW YORK
–
When Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland filled out his lineup card for Thursday's decisive Game 5 of his team's American League Division Series, the names were in a different order for the fifth consecutive time.

By Julian H. Gonzalez,, Detroit Free Press

Don Kelly, left, has been key to the Tigers' lineup flexibility. He's played five positions and hit in seven spots.

Don Kelly, left, has been key to the Tigers' lineup flexibility. He's played five positions and hit in seven spots.

Sponsored Links

That's in stark contrast to his counterpart, the New York Yankees' Joe Girardi, who has stuck with the exact same lineup in every game.

If Leyland subscribes to the theory that his team is greater than the sum of its parts, his belief might be partly out of necessity. During the regular season, the Tigers fielded 127 batting orders in 162 games.

Utilityman Don Kelly might best symbolize Leyland's affinity for versatility. Kelly appeared in 113 games this season — at five positions — and hit everywhere in the batting order except the Nos. 4 and 5 spots.

In the most important game of the Tigers' season, Kelly — a .245 hitter during the regular season — was batting second in the order and starting at third base Thursday.

"I've talked all along about (the importance of) using all the players and everything," Leyland said. "He's such a versatile player, being able to play the infield and the outfield and get a base hit as well.

"He deserves to be in there. … That's why he's playing," Leyland said. "You don't get sentimental at this time of year. He's been swinging the bat very well for us."

Kelly appreciates the confidence his manager has shown in him. And how his moves often seem to pay off.

Leyland pushed the right button earlier in the series when he installed Ramon Santiago as the No. 2 hitter in Game 3 and the 10-year veteran contributed with an RBI single in the third inning and the go-ahead RBI double in the fifth off Yankees ace CC Sabathia.

"We were thrilled about that," Leyland said. "He had done decent against CC, obviously, hitting .294 against him. That's why we put him in there. He responded very well. A couple of big hits no question about it."

The Tigers were able to get plenty of big hits during the regular season, finishing fourth in the majors in scoring at 4.86 runs a game, which trailed only the Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers.

According to a formula developed by statistician Bill James, the Tigers' 787 runs scored and 711 runs allowed during the regular season should have resulted in an 89-73 record. But the Tigers surpassed their Pythagorean winning percentage by winning 95 games.

Only three lineup spots remained relatively constant throughout the season and the playoffs. Center fielder Austin Jackson (No. 1), first baseman Miguel Cabrera (No. 4 ) and DH Victor Martinez (No. 5) all started at least 140 games in their spots. They were also the only ones to keep their spot in the order in all five playoff games.

Everywhere else, it's been fair game. The Tigers' biggest success story this season might be third baseman Brandon Inge.

Hitting an anemic .177 in mid-July, Inge, 34, was designated for assignment. When no other team made any effort to pick him up, he voluntarily accepted a demotion to the minor leagues. At Class AAA Toledo, he began to relax more at the plate and the Tigers gave him a second chance.

Inge hit .324 in September to help the Tigers run away with the AL Central title on the strength of a major league-best 20-6 record for the month.

"I think he quit putting pressure on himself. To be honest with you, I think he realized it's just a game," Leyland said. "And I think he's having more fun."

For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.